It read, “You stunned me with your beauty and spark. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed our meeting. May we encounter each other again, Robin Martin.”
“Holy shit! I kissed Robin Martin!” Her voice was little more than a whisper but utterly shocked. How had he signed it without her knowing? It had to have happened while she was at Crave.
“He dropped one of the books. He must have signed it when I was digging through my checkbook and talking to Tara.” Was he really the author? With her rotten luck it was more than likely he was some psycho pretender who preyed on gullible women shopping in the erotica section.
It sounded like something her ex would do. Why did the creepy ones always like her? The nice guys never seemed to pay attention to her. She was too boring. Well, at least she hadn’t given him her phone number. She’d done at least one thing right.
Disappointed with her conclusion, she idly thumbed through the book in her hands and took another bite of the cold, cardboard pizza. At the book’s end, on the inside of the back cover was the usual impersonal bio. The only change to the author’s usual information was the addition a picture of the author.
It was a black-and-white picture of the man who’d kissed her in the parking lot.
Chapter 3
He’d known from the start that the little blonde he’d kissed was going to be trouble, but he hadn’t expected it to come in this form. Yet, it was the very reason he’d pushed her away without asking her name. Somehow he managed to gather more willpower than he’d known he possessed and forbidden himself from further contact with her.
And damn, had that hurt. But he’d been worried.
And he’d be damned if he hadn’t been right.
Now he knew her name and would give anything if he didn’t. His stomach roiled with upset.
Courtesy of that same honey-eyed little blonde, he’d tossed and turned for hours. He’d just dozed off only to be awakened by his doorbell chiming repeatedly at four in the morning. Confused and still half asleep he stumbled to the front door revealing nothing but a dark street, draped in fog and silence.
Then, as he turned to head back inside, he saw it. Taped on his heavy oak door with garish, red tape, was a plain manila envelope.
He opened the seal and pulled photographs and a slip of paper free. There were three photos and each sickened him more than the one prior.
The first in the stack of horror showed the two of them walking through the parking lot side by side. He could still feel her softness and smell her sweet scent when he closed his eyes. The picture was taken from the back as if they were being followed. As he looked at their closeness, he was forced to remember the way her subtle warmth had fit just right into the hollow of his shoulder, as if filling an aching void.
The second picture was a close up of the two of them taken from the side. They were kissing as he held her tight against the car with her hands bound within his. His intent had been to get a quick taste of her, assuage his curiosity, and at the same time piss her off with his show of control. Then he could send her on her way without regret.
That wasn’t the response he’d gotten. She had melted in his arms faster than chocolate in the summer sun. He’d spent his entire evening telling himself things spiraled out of control because he was past due for some feminine company. More than likely he’d imagined her willing and scorching response.
The picture said otherwise. Their total absorption in each other showed in both their faces. Their body language and the ecstasy on their faces made it obvious the chemistry they shared was sheet scorching. His cock hardened just remembering the softness of her body against his and the shocked willingness that sparked in her eyes.
His jaw ached with frustration over the confusion he’d seen in them when he’d told her good-bye. One of the hardest things he’d ever done, each step taken as he walked away from her, without even asking her name, weighed heavier on his heart. It knew she was something special.
The third picture sent a cold chill through his body faster than a sub-zero wind. His breath froze inside his chest as pressure built until his ribs were ready to shatter. A rage so dark it suffocated and threatened to swallow him whole. His vision narrowed until all he saw was the picture in his tightly fisted hand. A red and black haze swirled at the edges of his vision and threatened to blind him.
It was a picture of Lacey. Yes, damn it all, he knew her name now. The last picture showed her dressed in red hospital scrubs opening the door of a hospital on her way in. He assumed she was on her way into work. She carried her large quilted purse. She’d joked yesterday while juggling it and her shopping bags that it had to be big, or else she couldn’t carry her books in it.
Drawn in red marker around her head was a large bull’s eye. The sight of her serene face, completely unaware of the danger that marked her sickened him. At the bottom of the picture were the words “Die, slut, die!” in bold red ink.
Anger fueled a rage so hot it threatened to consume him. He’d known he should have stayed away from her, known it deep in his gut, yet he’d done the very thing he’d told himself not to. By spending just a few brief minutes with her, he placed her in harm’s way.
The fourth item in the envelope was a simple note. Written in the red ink were the simple words. “How could you forget? You destroyed my life, now I’ll destroy yours. You best say good-bye. It’s only a matter of time before she’s dead.” Written in a shaky scrawl was the name Lacey Briton. Below that was an address, phone number, and what looked like a driver’s license number.
How could this nutcase find out so much information about his Lacey in such a short time? Hell, he’d practically devoured her in the parking lot and hadn’t even gotten her name.
He caused this mess and had to do whatever he could to guarantee her safety. He couldn’t see any other options. He’d packed a bag and waited on his best friend who, thankfully, was a police detective. He and Lacey were going on a little vacation while Parker went hunting. He hoped she’d listen to reason because she wasn’t going to have any say in the matter.
Chapter 4
She groaned aloud as she looked down at the time clock and swiped her badge. The shift she’d thought would never end was finally over. By now she’d been awake for at least twenty-four long hours. On top of the call-in for the extra shift, she’d had to stay over an extra hour for a staff meeting. So now, despite the coffee she’d started drinking around four a.m., her eyelids drooped with exhaustion. Fighting to keep them open, she walked to her car. Her legs ached and somehow had tripled their weight during the night. Each step she took required more energy than she felt she had. She’d never been more thankful that she lived just a few short minutes from the hospital. In less than twenty minutes she’d be in bed curled up with her pillow.
Like a vampire shunning the morning light, she shaded her eyes as she headed out the door and to the parking garage. Squinting and looking down at the ground she almost didn’t see the two men leaning against her car until she was nearly upon them. What did they want with her?
Had they hit her car? She was too tired to deal with this nonsense.
Both men stood tall and fierce as they scoured the area surrounding the parking lot. The one on the left stood straight and alert. With sandy-colored hair and a square jaw he appeared tense and ready. He stood a hair shorter than his buddy but was broader through the shoulders. Despite his dark sunglasses she felt his scan of the area stop as his attention fell on her. He surveyed her from head to toe as if she were strutting down the beach in a skimpy bikini, not dead tired and wearing wrinkled scrubs.
The taller one was just a touch leaner and much more rumpled. He ran a hand though his disheveled dark hair and despite his tired appearance, he appeared just as alert as his partner. What in the world did they want with her? She neared the same row they were in and her eyes relaxed as she entered the shade of a large tree.
Wait a damn minute. The dark-headed one was Robin Martin. What the hell? She had no
idea how he knew where to find her but she was going to let him have a piece of her mind.
“What are you doing here?” She was exhausted and confused and in no mood to play. He’d made things clear yesterday when she’d asked him out to dinner and he hadn’t been interested. Now he showed up at her work? “You had your chance yesterday and didn’t take it. I’m not interested anymore.” A small part deep inside knew that wasn’t one hundred percent true, but the cranky exhausted Lacey held the reins now.
“Lacey, please just let me have your car keys and I’ll explain everything. Trust me, please. This is important, life and death important.” His face didn’t look like someone who was playing a joke. It was brutal in its seriousness. His brow was a map of hard lines and his stance was one of a man on the offensive, ready to pounce at the slightest threat.
As she stopped just a few feet from where the two men towered above her she shook her head and threw her arms up in the air. “Look, Robin, if that’s even who you really are, I’m ready to fall flat on my face here and I’m not at all up to playing games. How do you even know my name? I never even told you which hospital I work at.”
“Lacey, please. I’ll explain in the car. I’m sorry, but you have to listen to me.” His clothes were wrinkled and his eyes looked as bad as hers felt. Stress lines turned down the edges of his mouth. The more she ranted at him, the more frantic he looked.
Clearly he believed something was wrong and he had a valid reason for being here, but she couldn’t stop her mouth. It was a rare thing but when it let loose, it really let loose.
“I don’t have time for a damn reality show prank. All I want is my pillow, damnit! Just get out of my way so I can go home. To my pillow. Alone.” She knew she was on the slippery edge of a hysterical meltdown, but as rare as they were for her, she knew there was no stopping it. She was on the verge of tears with fatigue.
“Parker, show her your badge. Do something. Lacey, he’s a police officer. This is real. You have to come with me.” He removed the hand fisted in his hair to reach for her, pleading for her to cooperate and come with him. The urgency in his tone and his expression was not lost on her. Overwhelmed and near hysteria, she threw her arms into the air again in a tantrum worthy of a three-year-old.
“No. Now, go away and leave me a—”
A loud crack split the air and interrupted midsentence. A sharp sting punched her side. Before she could tilt her head to look down at the source of burning pain, she was tackled to the ground beneath a wall of solid, tensed muscle. Another crack sounded as a spray of concrete dust and pebbles jumped into the air.
“Damn it, Parker! You told me it was all clear! If she’s hurt, I’ll kill you myself!” She could feel the hard body vibrating in rage as he cradled her head in a shaky palm and tucked it carefully into his shoulder. His thumb trembled against her ear and his chest heaved. As pain, weariness, and confusion beat at her that scent she already knew so well was as much a comfort as his solid warmth. She wanted nothing more but to give into the exhaustion and sink so deep into it she disappeared.
“I’ll call it in, but there is no way backup will get here in time. She’ll be okay. Don’t give me that angry eye routine. I promise you, it’s nothing. I can see the nick on her side from here. It’s not much more than a big scratch. Now let’s get her the hell out of here. Stay low, between the cars. Get her into her car, it’s closest. I’ll cover you. I’m wearing my vest. I’ll follow behind in your car and make sure you’re not followed.”
Followed? Vest? What was his name? Parker? Did Parker mean a bulletproof vest?
“What the hell is going on here? Robin get off of me, you overgrown idiot!” She tried in vain to push his hands away as he kept her low to the ground and checked her side.
“Honey, you were just shot. Just let me get you to safety.” She’d been shot?
He was just helping her into a low crouch when the combination of twenty-four plus hours of chaos and fatigue finally caught up with her and she fainted dead away into his arms.
* * * *
Though it had been at least ten minutes since they’d fled the hospital’s parking lot his hands continued to shake. His breathing had returned to normal but his heart continued to throw itself against his sternum in an angry fit. He may have survived the scare of his life but when he stopped at a red light and looked into the visor mirror he was surprised to see that his hair was still its natural dark brown. He’d been certain every strand would be white.
He was a wreck, but at least Lacey was safe for the moment.
She was still out cold, but from his periphery he watched the subtle rise and fall of her chest. The bleeding on her side slowed to a mere trickle. With a serene look on her face, she lay in the reclined passenger seat as if merely sleeping. And it’s possible she was.
He hoped like hell she was.
No doubt the poor girl had to have been running on fumes when she found them at her car just a little bit ago. Had that really only been twenty minutes ago? He couldn’t imagine the confusion she’d felt when she discovered him and Parker waiting at her car. On a good day it would have been mindboggling. But after no sleep and a hard night’s shift at the hospital? It was a wonder she’d handled the situation as well as she had.
Until she’d been shot.
Fuck! Why had he let this happen? He must have told himself twenty times while in Crave to walk away. He hadn’t been able to do it and she had nearly paid with her life.
How had it happened? He couldn’t have spent more than twenty minutes with her. Thirty tops? But still in that small amount of time he screwed up her life and put her in danger.
She’d been shot for fuck’s sake.
When he heard the report of a rifle, his heart stopped dead in his tracks. His worst nightmare had come to life. The split second realization that the shot had already been fired and there was nothing he could do to stop it had paralyzed him.
Helplessness didn’t begin to cover how inadequate and useless he’d felt.
His heart hadn’t restarted its frantic beat until he felt Lacey’s warm breath whisper at the base of his neck a few moments after he’d tackled her to the pavement. What was surely no more than a few seconds had felt like an eternity. But when she’d finally taken that first shuddered breath? He’d never in his life been so thankful.
How was it that a woman who he had known less than a full day could stir such high and low emotions in him? Was it the guilt he felt for dragging her into the mess that was currently his life?
It had to be. Yes, she was a pretty little thing but he’d dated and slept with women who were cover model worthy. Yet, he walked away from them without looking back.
What set her apart? He liked the way her face lit up when she smiled or started talking about books, but he certainly hadn’t fallen in love with her at first sight. That wasn’t even possible.
Hell, he still doubted true love existed for a man like him even with hard work and time.
So, yeah, it had to be his guilt and the temptation of forbidden fruit calling to him so compellingly.
It also called him to put her life at risk even though he’d known better.
Now he had to figure out how to explain this mess and protect her.
Thank God for Parker. He’d be lost right now without him. Yes, he had faith in the city’s police force but there was nothing like having your own personal detective for a best friend.
Even now, Parker trailed behind him so tight it was a wonder that the two cars hadn’t merged into one. If there was any way possible for them to make it to the cabin safe and undetected Parker would make certain of it. That’s what he did best.
Chapter 5
A warm breeze danced with a tendril of hair lying on her cheek insisting she wake. The bright sunlight forced its way behind her eyelids, even when she squinted in a worthless attempt to block it out. The sand man must have saved his entire payload just for her.
She tried to bury her head under her pillow to esca
pe the harsh light only to discover that the pillow refused to budge. Cranky and groggy she tried to turn over and find a comfortable position but there was no room for her to move.
What the hell? Somehow she’d twisted her body into a stiff pretzel and her cheek lay on the hottest, firmest pillow she’d ever encountered. It was a denim-covered pillow. A denim-covered pillow shaped suspiciously like a man’s hard thigh.
The unconsciously soothing motion of a vehicle stopped, startling her.
Throbbing pain in her side and an instant recollection of the morning’s events sparked awareness of whose thigh she must be sleeping on. Like a light switch flipped on, she jolted fully awake. “Where the hell have you taken me? What kind of sick game are you playing?” She practically jumped out of his car before he’d shifted it into park. Her heart pounded.
Robin got out, stood, and faced her from across the car with exhaustion and frustration etching deep lines into his face. The darkened lenses of his glasses hid his eyes. As he crossed his arms on its roof, his intense glower and the dusting of stubble along his jaw only increased his formidable appearance. The midday sun blasted his face and made it all too clear that this was not a man who played a game.
“Lacey, honey, come inside and let me explain. You’re safe here at the cabin, I promise, but your life is in real danger and I just need a minute to explain. Then you can kick my ass. All right?”
Hugging herself, she fingered the bandage covering her side, and looked around at her surroundings. They were in the deep wooded mountains of Only-God-Knew-Where. It looked like she didn’t have much choice in the matter.
She needed answers.
He opened the door to a log cabin and held it open, gesturing for her to enter. Reluctantly she followed him inside and looked around. With her nerves on edge she chose to stand and look around rather than sit in the plush chair he pointed to.
Lacey Temptations [Crave 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3